Thread: Stay at home dad is driving me NUTS

There is a place here that teaches kids how to cook.
Young Chefs Academy - A Cooking School for Kids

I can't vouch for how successful they are, I just know they've been here for a year or two. Maybe it can give you some ideas.
Good luck.

Thats a neat site. Ever been?

No I haven't. I was a Chef in a previous life, and my kids are grown beyond where I would take them there, but it is next door to a Running Shop I frequent.
I girl I went to Culinary School with also started a Cooking School for kids, last I heard. I don't believe it was a Franchise.
I was actually requested by some soccer mom's to teach their daughters (my daughters teammates) to learn to cook, just haven't had the time. I definitely think it has potential.
Also, as far as making some money, have you ever thought of personal Chefing?
I used to do dinner parties, with a cooking demo beforehand. All work was done onsite. It kept my 'chops' up for awhile, but again I got too busy with my regular vocation. It was lucrative though. I never got it going full time. I started it by printing recipes of my own making for a local butcher shop to hand out, with my name and number on the recipe. Got a few leads that way...

I was also thinking of doing some private cooking classes. There are many moms and older women who like to entertain.
I think I will put things on paper this weekend. What comes so easy to us can be so hard for others. I think some forget its just food.

Raise your kids. Don't let someone else do it because in the end you will pay more than the price of a babysitter. Take this time to reinvent who you are and what you do. Raising kids is hard but I can assure when they get older they will remember some special day you had and it will fill your heart with pride that you were there. You are very lucky indeed!

Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by speckey

I was also thinking of doing some private cooking classes. There are many moms and older women who like to entertain.
I think I will put things on paper this weekend. What comes so easy to us can be so hard for others. I think some forget its just food.

I couldnt agree more. All the Foodie shows today have just alineated alot of people from cooking.

Hit me up if you wanna chat sometime....

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Everyone is trying to make you feel better but in the end being a stay at home dad is something some guys like, some guys tolerate and some guys can't handle it. If I were you I would try and combine the home business with it. Why not do catering?

This is probably accurate. I liked every minute I spent with my oldest when she was a baby. But I would have gone absolutely nuts if I'd had to do it every day of the week and get no adult interaction anymore with friends or colleagues.

Since you can cook, you might consider cooking healthy meals for people in your neighborhood on order. Plenty of older or people with probalems want to eat healthy but don't have the option of going to the store on a regular basis, lack a decent kitchen or simply can't cook.

Around here there is a fair business to be had this way. And since people have to order beforehand (they have to choose from a weekly menu in advance) and are usually in for the long haul, planning and buying the ingredients is fairly straightforward.

took me awhile to chime in.. but i'm in a similar situation.. i worked as a chef for 13 years before becoming a nanny.. not all 13 years as a real chef.. but i started at the age of 15 in the kitchen and worked my way up.. my last 5 years or so was spent as a souschef and saucier with frequent fillings in as head chef.. the lifestyle is crazy busy and you develop a mindset..

i fell into this nanny job caring for 5 children and i've pretty much become a single dad to them.. i work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.. i love the kids and my life with them.. but i miss my old life.. it's even caused my lifelong relationship with depression to reemerge from time to time..

the one thing that has really helped out with that.. i've had my 12 year old charge film me making instructional cooking videos with the other kids.. we started out real simple with stuff like onion dicing techniques and basic saute method videos.. we've even made full blown recipe videos for fun stuff like shephard's pie and twice baked potatoes... it's been so rewarding for me and i couldn't recommend it enough..

maybe you aren't in the position to do the exact same thing.. but perhaps you could try something along those lines.. either way.. feel free to chat me up if you ever wanna have a little chef talk back in your life.

My parents worked throughout my childhood. I was first put into day time care part time during the week when I was 16 weeks old. Right up until I was 11 I would spend the mornings and afternoons at a 'child minder'. This, clearly, shaped who I am today - I'm perhaps not as close with my parents as I could be - but I don't think that has to be a bad thing. The woman who took care of me when I was really young, and her husband, are my god parents. I am still in touch with them and in fact I had dinner there on Monday, I'm also very good friends with their son. These people are family to me.

Putting your kids in some kind of care isn't always a bad thing. If you land a job or get an opportunity, take it if it's going to make you happier. There's no point being unhappy just to be with your kids 100% of the time - that's not good for you or them.

I couldn't do it.

Originally Posted by Wintchase

you are looking at the glass as half empty...

To those of us who work in engineering, the glass is neither half full nor half empty. It's twice as big as it needs to be.